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Sunday, October 19, 2008

On Joe the Plumber, Obama's Campaign, and the MSM

One of the most interesting things about the whole Joe the Plumber situation is what it shows us about Obama's campaign and the MSM. Instead of looking at Joe's question and Obama's answer, they are doing everything they can to smear Joe in an effort to divert people's attention away from the real issue.

Frankly, whether Joe is a stand-up guy or a tax-avoiding, unlicensed hack is irrelevant. His question, whether serious or rhetorical, is insightful and probing. Obama's answer, unscripted and unplanned, shows us a disturbing side of his beliefs, and his plans for the nation.

Let's make Joe's question a little more generic. Same question, just not as specific to Joe. "If my business makes more than $250,000 a year, your new plan is going to tax me more, isn't it?"

Now let's look at Obama's answer.

"I don't want to punish your success, it's just that I want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they've got a chance at success, too. I think that when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody." (emphasis mine)

Think about that. If you're successful, he wants to make sure that other's have a "chance at success" too - by forcibly taking the money you worked for, and earned, and giving it to people who haven't earned it, and who may not have worked for it at all.

That's not what taxes are for. Taxes are supposed to pay for government, and for the things government is supposed to provide, like roads, courts, police, and other infrastructure. The things that private enterprise cannot do well, or is unwilling to do because it's not profitable.

What Obama plans is called socialism, and that is disturbing. But his campaign and the MSM don't want us to know that, so they are trying to distract us by getting people to focus on the person who asked the question, and not the question itself, or the answer.